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These Dishes Allow Us To Enjoy Caviar Without Being Pretentious

Caviar is often associated with being upscale and expensive. For that reason, it feels unapproachable to many. However, there's some spots around the country doing really fun things with caviar. They are leaving behind the elitist side of this wonderful ingredient and having some fun with it. By keeping caviar casual, it's never been more exciting.

Caviar Frites

Caviar Frites at The Green Room in Burbank, California.

The Green Room

At The Green Room in Burbank, California, these caviar frites are made with Petrossian caviar, citrus crème fraiche, crisp Yukon fries, and 9-spice ranch. Modeled after the idea to create menu items that have a unique take on your favorite comfort foods (this spot also serves lobster corndogs and truffle mozzarella sticks), the caviar frites are bursting with unique toppings, each bringing a new layer of flavor to every bite.“How do you make caviar less intimidating? French fries, of course! When coming up with this dish, I thought it would be fun to take the ultimate comfort food to a new level. Creating a fresh and more approachable caviar dish, I hope to excite guests taste buds and encourage them to explore a new kind of luxury," says chef Perry Pollaci.

Caviar Everything Donuts

caviar everything donuts at Flex Mussels in New York City.

Hannah Schneider Creative

A donut with caviar? Sign us up. "I love experimenting with caviar because it can elevate any food. We topped our everything donuts with a little caviar to add an unexpected twist while complimenting the flavors of the donuts," says Alex Shapiro, owner of Flex Mussels in New York City.

Comstock Saloon in San Francisco offers a caviar-topped mozzarella stick, that features a huge 6 oz. mozzarella stick coated in panko, served with saffron aioli, Tsar Nicoulai caviar, and gold leaf. Chef Jason Raffin at Comstock is always thinking of ways to make the dining experience more fun and the goal of his menu is to not take itself too seriously. Serving the caviar on top of a twist on the classic bar snack makes it more approachable (and affordable) way for guests to enjoy this ingredient. “This dish is meant to be fun and interactive. The caviar is separated into three separate mounds, so that the customer can rip it apart and play with the melted, oozing cheese. Everyone is obsessed with the large cheese pull, and we’ve even see some guests do Lady and the Tramp-style tandem bites. I use Tsar Nicoulai white sturgeon caviar from Northern California, which has a buttery finish to pair well with fried food," says chef Jason Raffin.

No Regrets Burger

No Regrets Burger at Heritage Restaurant and Caviar Bar in Chicago.

Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar

At Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar in Chicago, this burger is made with heritage wood grilled steak burger, duck confit rillette, bone marrow butter, duck egg, and the option to add 15 grams of bowfin caviar. "The 'No Regrets' is all about layers upon layers of affordable indulgence. We love the contrast of an incredible beefy burger paired with gamey luscious duck confit, a creamy duck egg, and our bowfin roe," says Guy W. Meikle, executive chef of Heritage Restaurant and Caviar Bar.

Fried Chicken and Caviar

Fried Chicken and Caviar at Momofuku Las Vegas.

Anthony Mair

Luxury meets everyday comfort with the famous Fried Chicken & Caviar at Momofuku Las Vegas. This family-style dish features two whole fried chickens with truffle crème and ginger pancakes, and guests can choose between eight ounces of Smoked Trout Roe, American Sturgeon and Golden Osetra and let chef Shaun King do the rest. “The Fried Chicken & Caviar was inspired by chef Wylie Dufresne. The salty, crispy combination of these two ingredients is perfect, and we love the idea of pairing something as comforting and common as fried chicken with the luxurious taste of caviar. It is also the perfect opportunity to introduce our guests to caviar in a somewhat familiar way. The birds are brined, cooked in a combination oven for two hours at 180 degrees, then dredged in a classic fried chicken manner and fried until they are golden brown and delicious. We present the whole chickens tableside, then carve them like we would a Peking duck. Served with truffled crème fraiche, ginger crepes and crispy onions, this dish makes for a delicious experience," says executive chef Shaun King at Momofuku Las Vegas.

Home Fries

Home Fries from Longway Tavern in New Orleans.

Longway Tavern

In New Orleans, Longway Tavern's home fries feature pork belly, creme fraiche, caramelized onion, chives and caviar. "Approachability without being too repetitive or commonplace was one of our major design decisions for the menu. The challenge becomes doing both simultaneously, but we have found that if you have an anchor point of familiarity, either a flavor combination or format of a dish, you can build from there," says John Sinclair, executive chef at Longway Tavern. "The idea for our Home Fries dish started with a loaded baked potato and potato latkes. We wanted both a crispy and fluffy texture out of the potato with classic flavors from the creme fraiche, caramelized onion and chives. The caviar adds extra salinity, umami and brightness, and allows us to showcase a product from southern Louisiana. For those who have never splurged on caviar service before, this is a nice way to experience it in a casual presentation."

Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips at MiniBar Hollywood.

MiniBar Hollywood

MiniBar Hollywood in Los Angeles serves a fish & chips that includes a 1 oz. jar of caviar, crème fraiche, and a bag of potato chips. “We were trying to reward our regulars and our neighborhood with a classy but comfortable happy hour, so we knew we had to curate it enough that it would still attract ‘Our Crowd,’ not just be a sloppy mess of people trying to drink cheap. We decided to offer two specific martinis and a delicious Cava, each priced at $5(!). Caviar is the natural pairing to cold potato vodka and dry sparkling wine, but we wanted to keep it light and elegant, a fun finger food – MiniBar excels in the high-brow/low-brow tightrope act. For the guest, financially, it's a good trade off - we cut you a deal on the drinks, so you can spoil yourself with a small splurge on the snacks," says Jeremy Allen, general manager and head bartender at MiniBar of the dish that includes a one-ounce jar of sustainably harvested Tsar Nicolai caviar, served with a side of chive-infused creme fraiche (think sour cream & onion), and a bag of Rusty's potato chips. The chips, chives, cream, and the caviar are all California products.

Caviar Lobster Roll

The Caviar Lobster Roll at Luke's Lobster.

Luke's Lobster

For the holiday season, Luke’s Lobster is serving their first-ever Caviar Lobster Roll, which features a 20g tin of Petrossian Baika caviar at select shacks in New York, Boston, Washington DC, and Las Vegas. Caviar and lobster are often paired, but rarely in something as casual as a lobster roll. The caviar is served in its jar, with potato chips offered as as a way to enjoy any leftover caviar. "It's an unusual and perfect pairing. Both lobster and caviar have unique tasting profiles that complement each other in the best way - the sweet, meaty taste and texture of the lobster combined with the sublime burst and subtle sea-sensation of the caviar is not to be missed," says Alexandre Petrossian.

Chef Cory’s Boujee Chips

Chef Cory's Boujee Chips at Vol. 39 in Chicago.

Vol. 39

Vol. 39 is a chic “Mad Men” style bar located on the second floor of the Kimpton Gray Hotel in downtown Chicago. The bar features a caviar and champagne cart with caviar quantities sold by the half ounce, making them affordable to try. They also feature a dish called Chef Cory’s Boujee Chips comprised of kettle chips dressed with potato crème fraiche, caviar and chives.

Penne Alla Salmone

Penne Alla Salmone at Primavera in Coronado, California.

Primavera Ristorante

Not used to having caviar with your bowl of pasta? In Coronado, California, Italian restaurant Primavera Ristorante includes salmon caviar atop its penne alla salmone: fresh salmon, asparagus, tomatoes and sherry wine sauce are tossed in penne pasta and topped with caviar.